Celestial Spirits
by MoonstoneWings
Summary: When a new blader, who defeats everything in his path, enters a huge tournament, Gingka and the others, as well as new allies, team up and join as well, hoping to put an end to this blader. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my O.Cs. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

"Go, Celestia!" said a girl called Mikayla Fields as her bey, Cryptid Celestia, zoomed forward and clashed against the opponent's bey, Earth Eagle. It's rotation speed decreased largely, and it was barely spinning anymore. The opponent Tsubasa's eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's... Impossible! No one can do that! Except-"  
>"Lightning L-Drago, and all the other forbidden beys," Mikayla finished.<br>"Well, yeah, I guess! But not even Pegasus could do that with one shot!" Tsubasa exclaimed.  
>"Pegasus...?"<br>"Oh, right, you don't know Gingka Hagane."  
>"Who?" "The only blader ever to defeat L-Drago. Hey, what's going on? How did you do that?" His eyes were once again on the battle, in which Celestia was slowing Eagle's rotation even more. Then it stopped. "What?"<br>"And the winner is... Mikayla! Congratulations! You get 10,000 bey points!" said the announcer.  
>"Well, see ya." And with that, Mikayla disappeared, leaving Tsubasa confused and frustrated.<p>

In another bey stadium, there was a raging battle going on: Hikaru versus Hyoma. Both beys were barely spinning. "Aquario Infinite Assault!" said Hikaru.  
>"Aries Horn Throw Destruction!" Hyoma exclaimed at the same time. Both beys clashed and lashed at one another until both of their stamina reached their limits. Both Aries and Aquario stopped at the same time.<br>"And it's a draw!" exclaimed the announcer.  
>"I can't believe it!" said Hyoma later on inside one of the many rooms. "I was sure I'd beat you!"<br>"Same here!" agreed Hikaru. "I always thought it was win or lose. I never drew with anyone before."  
>"I take that as a statement that I'm a worthy opponent," said Hyoma sarcastically.<br>"Don't be stupid. Okay, I still need to win against... Gingka: Not going to happen; Kyoya: Maybe; Tsubasa: Sometime later; Yuu-"  
>"Are you just going to sit there, counting people's names, wins and losses?"<br>"No," Hikaru snapped.

"You know I'll win, Kyoya!" said Gingka.  
>"Whatever; Lion Gale Force Wall!" Kyoya's bey Leone created a big tornado which blew Pegasus into the air. Suddenly, Kyoya shouted involuntarily, "Lion Tornado Hail Attack!" Then the next minute Pegasus was on the ground, barely spinning. The wind from the attack swooped it up again, and pelted Pegasus with rock-hard ice shards.<p>

Gingka smiled, "Impressive move. But, you don't win just yet! Pegasus Star-Blast Attack!"

Pegasus entered the wind-tunnel and jammed Leone on the facebolt. It was thrown out of the stadium.

"Wow," said Gingka. "That was an awesome special move! How did you just create one like that?"

"It takes practice," Kyoya said smugly.

"And a desperate urge to win when you were losing so badly," said Hikaru suddenly, entering the room.

"Shut up, Hikaru," said Kyoya. "Besides, I beat you already, so you're not one to talk!"

She was silenced immediately.

"Guess what happened, guys?" asked Tsubasa, entering the room as well.

"What?" chorused everyone.

"Well, this girl called Mikayla and her bey Cryptid Celestia beat me with five shots!" he said, counting, "in 15 minutes."

"Wow, makes me want to battle her," said Gingka.

"Me too," said Kyoya. "I'll probably win, though. But I guess it'll be kind of fun."

"What's going on, guys?" asked Kenta, entering the room with Benkei.

"Hmm... 15 minutes? I doubt you can win, Kyoya," said a different voice.

"Madoka!" Gingka, who was right in front of her, jumped. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," she said apologetically. Then her attention was back on Kyoya. "According to my calculations, it took Gingka about an hour to defeat Tsubasa. And... What's her name? Michaela? She defeated him in fifteen minutes. You couldn't even defeat Gingka, who defeated Tsubasa, who was defeated by Michaela. So how do you expect to win? You follow?"

"Okay, I didn't follow a single thing!" said Kyoya, who was thinking about his new special move.

"And her name is Mikayla," corrected Tsubasa.

Speaking of Mikayla...  
>"N-no way! H-how did you...?"<br>"No one can do that! No one ever did!"  
>"How...?"<br>Everyone had a different reaction as Mikayla defeated everyone she passed. Her points raised up to 259,986 Suddenly a voice rang out in the stadium, "Next up: Hikaru and her bey, Storm Aquario, versus Akuma and his bey, Dark Satyr!"  
>"Hmm... Storm Aquario, huh?" she thought to herself. "Versus..." A frightened look came across Mikayla's face. "I have to see if she'll be okay!" And with that, she ran towards the stadium where the battle was going on.<br>"Aquario Infinite Assault!" said Hikaru.  
>But just as the waves were forming, they dissolved back into the ground.<br>"I win," said Akuma.  
>"W-what?" asked Hikaru. "But that's impossible!"<br>But Mikayla breathed out a sigh of relief. He hadn't used his full power. Just a minor bit of it. But Gingka thought differently. Virgo was able to stop and defend against Aquario's special move, but Akuma made it dissolve into the ground, and he won without doing anything! Something was fishy about him...

Hikaru took a deep breath. She felt sick, and not because she lost. Something about that guy was creepy... Besides the fact that he defeated her in a microsecond. Something about his bey. Dark Satyr, huh? She'd never heard of it.

"Hikaru!" Gingka, Tsubasa, Kyoya, Kenta, Benkei, Hyoma and Madoka came running up to her.

"That was... Insane," said Gingka. "How did that guy do that?"  
>She shrugged.<br>"Hmm... I don't see any data about Dark Satyr." Madoka looked frantic. "Sorry, Hikaru, but I have no idea what this guy did or how he beat you!"  
>Hikaru just nodded. She felt kind of like how she had felt when she had been revived from her devastating defeat caused by Ryuga... Scared and hopeless. Something about that bey...<br>Dark Satyr, Dark Satyr, Dark Satyr... The words kept echoing in her head. Then... L-Drago, L-Drago, L-Drago...  
>"What's wrong?" asked Kenta. "You're shaking!"<br>Hikaru shook off the feeling of dread and spoke, "Nothing, I'm fine."  
>"You sure?" asked Madoka.<br>"Yes!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Guys, don't you have to battle?"  
>"I don't," replied Madoka.<br>Hikaru sighed. "Just leave me alone, okay?"  
>"You're not going to battle?"<br>"NO!"  
>That chased everyone out.<p>

"Now," said the announcer. "The following people with over 200,000 points: Mikayla, Gingka, Kyoya, Tsubasa, Kenta, Benkei, Hikaru, Hyoma, Ryuga and Akuma; there is a surprise waiting for you! A huge competition! Whoever wins gets to have the title: Ruler of the Beyblade World!"  
>Hikaru watched the whole thing. She definitely wanted to be the Ruler of the Beyblade World. But then she'd have to face Ryuga, and she wasn't ready for that.<p>

"Now, the place where the bladers are going is very far away; a three day journey in a spacecraft; we'll be going to another dimension, a parallel universe. Now, we planned for only nine people; groups of three, but seeing as another came into view, she shall join another group. So, in the first spacecraft, Tsubasa, Kenta and Benkei; in the second, Hikaru, Ryuga and Akuma; and in the last spacecraft, Kyoya, Hyoma, Gingka and Mikayla! The spacecrafts leave tomorrow, so if you're chosen then start packing!"

Hikaru froze. Did she hear the words correct? She had to spend 3 days with Akuma and Ryuga? Her worst nightmare was coming true!


	2. Chapter 2

Gingka shook his head. "Poor Hikaru; she still hasn't gotten over her fear of Ryuga..." "Great. What am I supposed to do while you guys are in another dimension?" asked Madoka, annoyed.  
>"Whoops, I didn't think of that!"<br>Meanwhile...  
>"Hey, Kyoya, can I ask you something?" asked Hikaru.<br>"Fine; what?" asked Kyoya.  
>"Does Ryuga still have the power to absorb energy?" Hikaru questioned.<br>A mischievious smile played on Kyoya's lips. "You're scared, aren't you?"  
>"None of your business; just answer me!"<br>"How do you think I'd know? I don't know any inside scoops on Ryuga..."  
>"I shouldn't have asked," Hikaru huffed.<br>"Yeah, you shouldn't have. And besides, do you really think you have a chance against Ryuga?" Kyoya taunted.  
>"Stop it!" Hikaru shrieked. "I'm not scared, and you lost to him as well!"<br>"Really; when?"  
>"In Battle Bladers..." Hikaru realized that he was making fun of her, acting oblivious. "Well, you're not the one who has to spend three days with Ryuga and Akuma!"<br>"Get to know them; you might like them."  
>"Shut up!"<br>"Really, I mean it, you'll probably like them a lot!"  
>"Oh, really!" Hikaru said with a murderous look in her eyes. "Well, I hope Ryuga can still absorb energy, so I don't ever have to see YOU again! Kyoya became very quiet. Hikaru suddenly felt like an idiot. After all, he knew how it felt; Ryuga did the same thing to him, too. But on the other hand, what he was saying had no relation to what she was afraid of.<br>"Sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't really mean that. But seriously, me liking them is like you liking me: Impossible! And where are you going with this?"  
>"Actually, I shouldn't have said all that," Kyoya spoke up. "I wasn't thinking clearly. Actually, I wasn't really paying attention to anything you said."<br>"Whatever." Hikaru turned away. "I guess I was stupid to think you'd know."  
>And with that, she ran off.<br>And something told Kyoya that they wouldn't be speaking to each other for a long time.

"You know what I think?" Tsubasa asked Hyoma.

"What?"  
>"I think this is all a trap. Like last time; whoever battled Ryuga got drained of energy."<br>"Well, it's not like we'll have to battle only him!" said Hyoma.  
>"Well, I have a feeling that we will eventually, though."<br>Out of the corner of his eyes, Hyoma saw a person, a girl, standing in the shadows. "Who's that?" he asked.  
>"I think that's... Mikayla!"<br>"The one who defeated you in fifteen minutes? I want to meet her! Wait, where did she go?"  
>"Let's find out."<br>"I don't think that's nessesary," said a different voice.  
>"Mikayla?" asked Tsubasa.<br>"Yes, it's me."  
>"So, you have 200,000 points."<br>"No," Mikayla said. "Actually, I have 399,986."  
>"Wow! How did you get so many points?" asked Tsubasa.<br>"I battled; duh!"  
>"Oh, yeah."<br>"So, do you think you'll win against Ryuga?" asked Hyoma.  
>"And you are...?" Mikayla trailed off.<br>"Oh, sorry. I'm Hyoma."  
>"Yes," she replied. "I think so. Maybe."<br>"And Akuma...?"  
>A look of dread crossed her face. "No one can," she whispered. "It's impossible. Not even Ryuga can. He's going to beat everyone. I know it!"<br>"Wait," said Tsubasa said. "Did you ever battle him?"  
>"No," Mikayla whispered.<br>"Then how do you know-"  
>He never got to finish his question, because Mikayla disappeared out of sight.<p>

"Now, let's see if everyone's here!" said the announcer. "Hmm... Yes, everyone's here!"

So Hikaru came, thought Gingka.  
>"Now, hop aboard the spacecrafts you're riding in!"<br>Gingka walked over to the spacecraft Hyoma was getting in and sauntered inside.  
>Meanwhile, Hikaru was cautiously exploring the spacecraft, trying not to think about running into Ryuga and battling him. And running into Akuma didn't seem that appealing either.<br>But she did run into someone. And that wasn't Ryuga. It wasn't even Akuma. It was...  
>"Kyoya?" Hikaru was confused. Wasn't he supposed to be with...? "What are YOU doing here?"<br>"I'm assigned to this spacecraft," he replied, annoyed.  
>"No, you're not," Hikaru said matter-of-factly. "You're supposed to be with Mikayla, Hyoma and Gingka."<br>"I guess you were too deep in your head to pay attention," Kyoya said, rolling his eyes. "Some guy called Neiji went there and took my place, and Yuu joined there too, so that spacecraft is basically crowded." He shrugged. "I'm kind of glad to be here anyway; Yuu's too annoying. But," he paused, making eye contact with Hikaru and smirking, "it's not like you're any less annoying."  
>"Gee, thanks," Hikaru said, her voice dripping sarcasm. "And what do you call yourself? Sophisticated? From what you just said, I don't think so!"<br>"Yeah, whatever." He said it as if he had things to do, places to be. But Hikaru knew that he had run out of snide remarks and witty comebacks. Silence reigned for about an hour. "This is boring," Kyoya said finally. "And I know you're afraid of battling Ryuga."  
>"No," she replied nervously. "Just... Um... It's not appealing. Anyway, would YOU want to battle him?"<br>"I'd show HIM who's boss," Kyoya scoffed.  
>"Yeah, right," Hikaru said, rolling her eyes. "If he used his special move, then what would you do?"<br>"He probably lost his ability to absorb energy," Kyoya explained.  
>"You could have told me that before!" Hikaru screeched.<br>"Sor-ry!" Kyoya said. "Anyway, I can't believe you don't want to battle him and get revenge!"  
>"Huh!" Hikaru put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "I'd like to see you battle him now!"<br>"FINE!" And with that, Kyoya went to find Ryuga.  
>"Wait up! I was just kidding!" Hikaru ran after him.<p>


	3. Chapter 3

"So, you're Mikayla," said Gingka. "And you're Neiji."  
>Mikayla nodded and Neiji just stared at him. He took that as a yes. "So-"<br>"Hi guys!" said another voice. It was...  
>"Yuu!" Gingka walked towards him and said, "So, you're here too!"<br>"Yup," said Yuu. "Where are Kenchi and Benben?"  
>Gingka stifled a laugh and said, "In another spacecraft with Tsubasa."<br>"Hi," said Mikayla to Yuu. "I'm Mikayla."  
>"Neiji," Neiji said simply.<br>"I'm Yuu."  
>"You're the little guy who won the tournament, right?" asked Neiji.<br>"I'M NOT A LITTLE BOY!" Yuu said.  
>"You're acting like one," Neiji pointed out.<br>" I don't think I'll like you."  
>"Great!"<br>Yuu looked at Neiji confused before turning to Mikayla. "What's your bey?"  
>"Cryptid Celestia," replied Mikayla. "And your's is Flame Libra."<br>"How do you know?" Yuu's eyes were wide.  
>Mikayla smiled mysteriously. "I know a lot about people." Neiji grunted, which made Mikayla turn around. "And I also know your bey is Midnight Vampire Howler. And that it's special move can decrease the opponent's bey's spin and increase your own. And it's called "Vampire Midnight Blood Sucker"."<p>"How do you know that?" asked Neiji.<p>

"I also know that your bey has two spirits."  
>"WHAT?" This made Hyoma jump about 10 feet in the air.<br>"Yes, it does," Mikayla confirmed. "They're the Vampire Bat and the Hyena."  
>"How. Do. You. Know. THAT...?" Neiji trailed off.<br>"I just do, don't ask any questions."  
>Hyoma didn't buy it. "Tell me about my bey."<br>"Rock Aries, special move: Horn Throw Destruction, not sure what it does, Windstorm Assault, spintrack spins, Iternal Defense Spintrack, defends against most attacks."  
>Hyoma stared at her with admiration. "How did you...?"<br>"I just know."  
>"Wow."<br>'Hmm..." Mikayla seemed to be thinking about something. "So are you hoping to win?"  
>"Yes, and I think I actually might."<br>"The whole world will be watching as you make a fool of yourself!" Yuu said to Neiji, clearly trying to torment him. Neiji acted as if Yuu weren't there.  
>"Are you sure?" asked Mikayla, to Hyoma. "Well, I might have a bit trouble battling Ryuga, but yeah." Hyoma shrugged. "And maybe Akuma."<br>As soon as Hyoma said Akuma's name, Mikayla looked like she was going to collapse and die. "Don't talk about him," she whispered.  
>"What's going on?" asked Hyoma. "Even when Tsubasa asked you about him you got all frozen and scared!"<br>"It's..." Mikayla took a deep breath. "It's fine. Just tired, I guess."  
>"And what about that day when...?"<br>"Look, if you want to talk, talk about something else."  
>"I was just... Curious," Hyoma said.<br>"And you have every right to be," Mikayla replied. "I just don't want to talk about Akuma."  
>"Do you know him?" asked Hyoma. "Did you ever battle him?"<br>Mikayla almost fell over. "Battle AKUMA?"  
>"What wrong with that?" Hyoma was really confused now.<br>"I couldn't... I could never..." Her voice changed from agonizing fear to pure anger. "I'll never forgive him!" she burst out. "After what he did... And I can't ever survive... If I..."  
>Okay, now she was speaking in riddles. "What are you saying?"<br>Her breath came in shuddering gasps and she looked on the verge of passing out. "Okay, I'm sorry!" Hyoma tried to bring her back to normal. "We won't talk about him. Promise. He's not there anymore. Not there..."  
>Mikayla calmed down. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "I know that was weird..."<br>"No, it was my fault," said Hyoma. "I shouldn't have brought that up."  
>She must have some history with Akuma, he thought. Scary history... I probably shouldn't mention him anymore.<p>

"So, the only thing you guys do is fight over food?" Tsubasa asked as Kenta and Benkei fought over a ham sandwich. "Whatever. I guess I won't be doing anything for three days."

He walked to an empty room and took out his Earth Eagle. "Okay, Eagle. You and I are going to win this." His bey glinted in reply.  
>Tsubasa walked to a window and saw celestial bodies everywhere. Speaking of Celestia...<br>He wondered about Mikayla's bey, Cryptid Celestia. What star sign was it named after and what power did it have? He wanted to find out desperately how she defeated Eagle with a few blows. But he'd have to wait three days. In this crazy spacecraft filled with two crazy people who crazily fought over crazy things like ham sandwiches.  
>Yes, just crazy.<p>

"Hikaru?"

"Yes?"  
>"What are you planning to do, look like a coward?" Kyoya was referring to how Hikaru was fretting like crazy and not bothering to hide it. "Look, if you're scared, don't complain about it to me. You're just wasting your time."<br>"What's it to you, anyway?" Hikaru snapped. "I might actually WIN if I didn't have to worry about Ryuga!"  
>"IF you don't battle me."<br>"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I can't beat you?" "You didn't before, and never will," Kyoya stated matter-of-factly. He took out his bey. "Beat me in a match right now, and I'll consider you as a worthy opponent."  
>"Fine!" Hikaru said, Ryuga temporarily forgotten as her anger flared up, taking control over her actions.<br>"3!"  
>"2!"<br>"1!"  
>"LET IT RIP!"<br>As soon as Aquario touched Leone, it multiplied and all the duplicates, including the real one, were hitting Leone like crazy.  
>"It takes way less time to perform that move now," Kyoya observed. "But it's over. Lion Gale Force Wall!" As the tornado formed, it quickly disintegrated into shimmering dust as the Aquarios kept on attacking. This startled Hikaru even.<br>"How did it-?"  
>"It's YOUR bey," Kyoya pointed out. "Why're you asking me?"<br>"A-Aquario Infinite Assault!" A tidal wave washed over Leone, sending it spinning to Kyoya's feet. It then stopped.

"..."  
>"L-Leone?" Kyoya stared at his bey, as if trying to melt it. He glanced at Hikaru. She seemed as surprised and taken aback as he was. "How did you do that?"<br>"I...I don't know." Hikaru reached out to pick up her bey. A leather gloved hand beat her to it.  
>"I do." Kyoya and Hikaru stared at Akuma, who was leaning casually against the wall. They waited to hear his explanation. And they got it. "Your power flared when your emotions did." He referred to Hikaru. "Having no control over your feelings is like having no control over your power." He laughed, but not in a nice way. "Explains why you've gotten SLIGHTLY stronger than our last encounter." He tossed Aquario directly at Hikaru. Instead of catching it, she dodged. And she did the right thing. The bey shattered the glass window behind her. "What was THAT about?" she wondered. Kyoya shrugged, and they both glanced at where he was standing.<br>Akuma disappeared.

Yuu sauntered over to Neiji the second day and said, "I bet you'll lose in a battle against me!"  
>"Yeah, you wish," said Neiji, brandishing his bey. "Three!"<br>"Two!" yelled Yuu, pulling out Libra and readying it.  
>"One!" they both shouted. "LET IT-"<br>"GUYS!" yelled Hyoma loudly, and different from his usual coolness. "IF YOU WANT TO BATTLE THEN TAKE IT OUTSIDE IN THE STADIUM! NOT IN THE BEDROOOOOOOOOOOOOMS!"  
>So that chased them out onto the stadium.<br>"Let it rip!"  
>They launched their beys Vampire Howler and Libra.<br>"Go Libra! Make him lose right... NOW!" Libra went crazy, hitting Neiji's bey in all directions. Yuu looked up with a satisfied look on his face, but Neiji just smiled.  
>"Now, Vampire Howler... Special move: Vampire Nightmare Dimension Switch!" Neiji returned Yuu's look with a satisfied one of his own. And the next time Libra made an attempt to hit Vampire Howler, Libra went right THROUGH it. When it appeared again on the other side of it, it stopped spinning.<p>

"Wha... Wha..." Yuu was speechless.  
>"And that wasn't even my full power," said Neiji triumphantly. "See ya, Little Boy."<br>"I'm not a little boy," Yuu said weakly, still dazed.  
>Mikayla was watching the whole thing, clutching her bey Celestia tightly. She had no idea how that guy did that, but she wanted to battle him. She didn't think it was that impressive, whatever he had done. She could do better. And what did he say? He didn't use his full power? Well then, she would just have to see for herself just how powerful that guy was.<br>"So, eavesdropping, are you?" asked a voice. Mikayla froze. "No, but could you just tell me what you did?"  
>Neiji smiled mysteriously. "Sorry; top secret. And anyway, do you want something from me, Psychic?"<br>"Wha... What?"  
>"Sorry, but the way you just told Hyoma and I about our beys, you remind me of one." Neiji grinned, and Mikayla gave him a small smile. "Doesn't matter, anyway," said Mikayla, shrugging. "And no, I don't want anything from you."<br>"Are you sure?" Neiji held up his bey Midnight Vampire Howler. "You didn't want to... Battle?"  
>"N- No!" Mikayla stammered, reminded of a bad memory. "Well, maybe." She cursed herself for that sudden answer. "Three..." Neiji began.<br>"Two..." Mikayla continued.  
>"One!" they both said, just as Gingka and Hyoma walked out.<br>"Let it rip!"  
>They launched their beys and the beys clashed. Who would win...?<p>


	4. Chapter 4

The battle started; Vampire Howler and Celestia just stood there, waiting for the other bey to attack.  
>"Is your's a Stamina type?" asked Neiji.<br>"No," replied Mikayla. "Is your's?" Neiji shook his head. "Then why aren't you attacking?"  
>"I'd ask you the same question!"<br>Hyoma and Gingka groaned. Mikayla and Neiji were both using the same tactic: Wait for the other person to attack!  
>"Oh, come ON!" Mikayla urged. "Won't you MOVE?"<br>"No. What about you?" asked Neiji. Mikayla shook head and began to say no, but suddenly a smile came across her face. "On second thought... GO CELESTIA!" Celestia made out as if it were about to hit Vampire Howler. But just as it was about to hit it, it disappeared. Neiji smiled, but was shocked to see that Mikayla was... SMILING...  
>"What's going on?" Neiji demanded.<br>"That wasn't your little dimension thing," Mikayla explained. "And Celestia never hit your bey."  
>"But... Where is it?" Neiji asked.<br>"Right in front of your bey!" Mikayla exclaimed.  
>"So... It didn't even move?" Neiji was confused.<br>"Yes, it did!" Mikayla said, exasperated. "Neiji, think! What happens when things go really fast?"  
>"They... Look invisible," said Neiji.<br>"Yes, they do, but that's not my point. My point is that Celestia never hit your bey! It stopped so suddenly, so quickly, that it looked as though it went through Vampire Howler, but it didn't!" "But... How did it break so fast, at the last minute?" Neiji questioned.  
>Mikayla just smiled mysteriously and said, "Knowing about everyone's beys does more than make me a Psychic."<br>Neiji's eyes were wide. Mikayla knew exactly what he was planning! "Hey guys," said Yuu to Gingka and Hyoma. "What's going on?"  
>"A battle between Mikayla and Neiji," Gingka said.<br>"I vote Mikayla," said Yuu because he didn't like Neiji, "but I bet Neiji will win."  
>And with that, he ran off.<br>Neiji shook his head and looked serious. "So what if you can predict my every move? That won't help you!" he declared. "Vampire Howler didn't show it's true power yet! Special move: Vampire Midnight Blood Sucker!"  
>"This is the one," whispered Hyoma to Gingka. "The one Mikayla told him about. The one which decreases the opponent's bey's spin and increases it's own!"<br>And that was exactly what it did. But Mikayla wasn't frazzled at all.  
>"What's going on?" asked Neiji. "Isn't it working?"<br>"Of course your move is working," replied Mikayla. "Look!" He looked and sure enough, Celestia was getting slower as Vampire Howler was getting faster. "But then..." Neiji trailed off. "Why aren't you doing anything?"  
>Mikayla didn't reply. Her eyes were closed and she was concentrating. "Hello! WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING?"<br>Still Mikayla payed no attention. She focused on the sound of sucking. How did Vampire Howler do it? Sucking... Sucking... Air! It was sucking the air around Celestia which it was using to increase it's own spin. But how...? Mikayla opened her eyes and stared closely at Vampire Howler, which was spinning faster by the second. It was really kind of TOO fast to get a close look. Mikayla knew what she had to do. "Celestia, do it now!" Celestia began hitting Vampire Howler, and Neiji smirked.  
>"You know that if Celestia hits my bey now, it'll lose it's spin even more quickly," he said, only realizing that Mikayla was not paying attention. Not only that, but he was wrong. Celestia was just as fast as it was before. And it hit Vampire Howler so suddenly that Neiji didn't have time to create a portal to another dimension. And it slowed down a little bit. Mikayla could now get a good look at the bey. Hmm... What was different about it that made it be able to suck air away...?<br>There! Just there! Underneath the fusionwheel... Were TUBES! Thin, small tubes that sucked out air around a bey so it's spin would get slower and slower... Until it stopped!  
>Mikayla knew EXACTLY what she had to do now, and quickly! Time was running out; almost all of the spin from Celestia was sucked out.<br>"GO CELESTIA!" she yelled. Celestia went faster and faster, until it jammed Vampire Howler underneath the fusionwheel! But, as Neiji smiled triumphantly, it disappeared.  
>Shoot. Mikayla had totally forgotten about the portal.<br>When it appeared on the other side, Celestia was spinning very slowly, barely rotating. "It's only a matter of time until it stops," said Neiji, noticing once again that he was wrong. After twenty minutes, Celestia still kept spinning at the same slow rate! What was going on?

Hikaru hadn't been happy about her victory. She just kept pondering about what he meant.

"Flare of power...? What does emotions have to do with...?" Suddenly she stood up. She got it.  
>"When I got so angry, I didn't think of anything but proving Kyoya wrong!" Hikaru said triumphantly. "So my power got more strong because of my rage!"<br>There. She figured it out.

"When will your bey stop spinning?" asked Neiji, exasperated from the waiting. Mikayla answered this question with a simple answer, "Never."  
>"You could have told me that BEFORE I waited an hour! GO MIDNIGHT VAMPIRE HOWLER!"<br>Vampire Howler practically exploded with power as it crashed into Celestia, sending it flying. But it didn't come down.  
>"Does this mean I win?" asked Neiji, sensing victory in the air.<br>"Not quite."  
>Her words were simple, short and estimated, but certain. "WHAT?"<br>"You heard me," said Mikayla. "No. Not yet."  
>Meanwhile, Hyoma and Gingka had been transfixed at the battle when Hyoma broke the silence, "What is she SAYING?"<br>Gingka shrugged. "I don't know!"  
>"But... Your bey disappeared!" said Neiji.<br>"No, it didn't," replied Mikayla. "Look up."  
>He did, and was truly amazed at what he saw. Celestia was spinning upside down, on the ROOF. "But... But HOW...?"<br>"You're mistaken if you think that's all I've got," said Mikayla.  
>"What the... Go Vampire Howler!" Neiji said, uncertain. It zoomed underneath the still spinning Cryptid Celestia.<br>Mikayla smiled. "Right in my trap. Go Celestia!"  
>Celestia landed ON TOP of Vampiria UPSIDE DOWN. Neiji wasn't even ready with a portal. Slowly but surely, Vampiria was slowing down.<br>But Neiji smiled and said, "Final Vampire Poison Bite!"  
>A special move. Uh oh.<br>This one was extra powerful, with tons of force. Vampiria actually PUSHED CELESTIA OFF OF IT, and hit it repeatedly hundred times a second.  
>Mikayla said, "Celestia, do it now! NOW!"<br>Celestia did do it. But IT wasn't an attack.  
>"Hey, what's going on here?" asked Yuu, joining Hyoma and Gingka. "A battle between Mikayla and Neiji," Hyoma murmured, lost in the battle.<br>Yuu looked at him as if he were crazy. "You said that three hours ago!"  
>"Yes, but it's still going on," answered Gingka.<br>"Mikayla is really strong," Yuu decided as he stared at the battlescene going on. "Why aren't you doing anything?" asked Neiji.  
>IT referred to Celestia just sitting there being hit by Vampire Howler.<br>"What?" asked Mikayla. "Do you WANT me do defend against your attack? Isn't this much easier?"  
>"I WANT A CHALLENGE!" Neiji told her, very, very, VERY exasperated. "I don't care if what you do will be weak or strong, make me win or lose, BUT I WANT YOU TO DO SOMETHING!"<br>Unfortunately, Mikayla was doing the opposite. More precisely: She wasn't doing anything!  
>But she didn't listen. Mikayla was very confused about something: Why was he only using the vampire part of his bey's spirit? What happened to the howler? The Hyena? Something was very wrong here. She decided to end the battle right then. She would lose. She just stood there, watching her precious bey spin lesser and lesser until... FINALLY...<p>

... It stopped.

Later on...  
>"Why didn't you do anything?" Hyoma asked.<br>"I did," said Mikayla.  
>"Yes, you DID let him win." Hyoma was irritated. For some reason, he had wanted her to win.<br>"I could have beat him if I had wanted to," said Mikayla. "It's just... Something bothered me about his bey. I'll ask him about it later."  
>This reassured him. Without thinking, he blurted out, "You're so strong, I think you can win against even Akuma!"<br>Here it comes...  
>And sure enough, it did. The freezing, the look of death and horror, the fright...<br>"Okay, sorry!" said Hyoma. "I just thought..."  
>"NO ONE can beat Akuma," Mikayla said, her voice pinched and tight. "First of all, I can't even bear to hear someone mention his name! Not after what he did to-" She stopped immediately, catching herself and morphing what she had just said into a cough.<br>"What?" Hyoma was suddenly concerned. "What did he do?"  
>"Did he do something?" Mikayla sounded honest, with a look of innocence plastered onto her face. "Did I say that? No. How would I know what he did?"<br>That gave her away; she had just confirmed that he had done something. "Just tell me!"  
>She dropped her pleasant facade. "I can't," she said quietly. "It's my worst memory. I just can't."<br>"Why?" Hyoma asked. "You don't trust me?"  
>"No... Look, I'll tell you later, okay?"<br>"Fine," Hyoma huffed.


	5. Chapter 5

"FINALLY!" Tsubasa said to himself. "The third day. Just a few hours to go!"  
>Yes, he thought. No more staying in this crazy spacecraft filled with two crazy people who crazily talked about crazy things like ham sandwiches. All the same, they did battle each other, unlike him. But Tsubasa would make up for it in the tournament.<br>Just a few more hours to go...

"Um, Neiji? HELLO! I know you're in there!" Mikayla yelled at the closed door to the room in which Neiji was hiding in. Well, not hiding exactly, but he wasn't showing himself either. "NEIJI!"  
>"What do you want?" asked Neiji's voice, which was muffled due to the closed door.<br>"I have a question! And I demand that you answer it NOW!"  
>Mikayla heard a sigh, and she heard a click. She knew he was unlocking the door. "Okay," she said to him. "It's about the battle yesterday."<br>"Yeah, now that you mention it, why did you let me win?" Neiji asked.  
>"About that." Mikayla took a deep breath. She didn't like asking questions. She preferred knowing the answers to all of her problems. But her psychic powers couldn't pick up anything to this matter. "Why did you only use Vampire Howler's Vampire power? What about the other one?"<p>

"Oh, that," Neiji said. "It's just that those powers are too powerful. I only use them when it's really important. Sometimes, it's... Fatal."  
>Something in what he said sliced any courage she might have had like a knife. She was reminded of her worst memory, and she suddenly felt like she couldn't do anything. STOP IT! she screamed at herself in her mind. She was losing her confidence. "Um, okay," Mikayla said to Neiji. "And I lost to you on purpose because I was confused about that."<br>"So, do you mind me asking where you got psychic powers from?" Neiji asked.  
>"I really don't know," Mikayla said honestly. "And we're going to land right-" They heard a loud thump as the spacecraft settled on the ground. "-Now."<br>"Ookay," Neiji said. "Anyway, we're here!"  
>When he looked outside, he was surprised to see about a hundred of other spacecrafts.<br>"You don't need to be so surprised," said Mikayla, smirking. "A lot of other people get over 200,000 points too."  
>"So you're a mind reader too, huh?" Neiji asked.<br>"No, I'm simply observant," she said smoothly.

Desperateness drove Kyoya to search for Hikaru. She was missing, and he had no idea whatsoever where she was. And he had. For an hour. And even as the spacecraft landed, Hikaru didn't come out! If she was a real blader, she would have.

But then Kyoya swallowed up his thoughts when he opened a closet door and found Hikaru lying unconscious. When he walked in to drag her out, he realized that there was hardly any air in there. That meant... Someone deliberately attempted to kill her! Someone was on this spacecraft other than Akuma and Ryuga. He assumed that because even they didn't have an alibi. Why on earth would they want to kill Hikaru? Why would anyone want to kill?

The gang (Including Mikayla and Neiji) all met at a place where all the bladers chosen to come were there.  
>"Guys, where's Kyoya?" asked Gingka.<br>"Who?" Mikayla asked.  
>"Probably just some obnoxious guy," Neiji muttered.<br>"One of my friends," Gingka said, obviously ignoring Neiji. When they saw Kyoya come out, dragging Hikaru behind, the gang fell silent.  
>Finally Tsubasa squeaked, "What happened?"<br>"Well, someone tried to kill her," Kyoya said, as if that were totally normal. He was worried, but his voice was all, "Of course. Anyone would do that."  
>Mikayla couldn't take it. She would have made a huge outburst but instead she said, "Why would anyone want to kill her?"<br>"I don't know," Kyoya answered in a voice that plainly stated, "Who cares?" "But no one was there in the spacecraft except-" He was interrupted by Mikayla.  
>"Someone WAS there," she confirmed. "I don't know what he wants but-"<br>"Why should I listen to you?" Kyoya asked.  
>"I'm psychic."<br>"Yeah, right."  
>"Your bey is Rock Leone, your special moves are Lion Gale Force Wall, 100 Fang Fury, Lion Wild Wind Fang Dance-"<br>"Enough already!" Kyoya screeched. "Shut up! I don't want the whole world to know about my special moves!"  
>"They will anyway eventually when you use them," Mikayla pointed out.<br>"Who said I'm going to use them?" Kyoya said, but everyone knew he would.  
>"That's beside the point," Mikayla reminded him. "There WAS someone hiding in the spacecraft and you're lucky Hikaru was the only victim. And I know what you're thinking, Gingka." She shot him a glance. "I know it was not just an accident. Hikaru didn't go there and faint. Someone must have got her and thrown her in there and sabotaged the air there."<br>"No one can do that!" Gingka scoffed.  
>"Yes, some people have that ability," Mikayla shot back. "For now, we're lucky Hikaru's still breathing." "And how do you know-" Gingka stopped himself. "Oh, right, you're psychic."<br>"She'll come to," Mikayla said simply. "Now let's-"  
>Before she could finish, a voice called out, "Well, I see everyone's here! Now, in a few minutes we shall begin the first round of the tournament! So, get ready!"<br>Mikayla sighed. "This is it."

A few minutes later, the gang was waiting anxiously to see who were going to be in the first matches.

"Now," said the announcer, "the moment you've all been waiting for! The first matches are..." Everyone held their breath. "Elixa v.s. Neiji, Mikayla v.s. Haeli, Corona v.s. Akuma and Hikaru v.s. Flash. Good luck, bladers!"  
>"No," Mikayla said.<br>"Why?" Gingka asked, surprised. "You're lucky you're in the first matches!"  
>"It's not that," Mikayla whispered.<br>"Is it the fact that Hikaru's unconscious?" he asked.  
>"No," she answered. "I'm... It's just... I'm worried about Corona."<br>"Why?" Gingka was surprised. "You don't even know her!"  
>"She's going to battle Akuma," Mikayla said shakily. "And I know for a fact that Akuma will use his full power in all the battles here, and when he uses his full power people can d-" she stopped herself.<br>"People what?" he asked.  
>"Die." She said the word in barely a whisper, but Gingka heard it.<br>"No," he said. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no..."  
>"But-" she was cut off.<br>"How do you know this?"

"Well... Um... Uh..." she stammered.  
>"Oh, yeah, you're psychic," Gingka remembered.<br>"I AM?" Mikayla squeaked. She recomposed herself. "I mean, I AM," she said matter-of-factly. "That's what it is. I've never battled Akuma in my life. So if you're thinking that..." She stopped speaking.  
>"Well, good luck," Gingka said, wondering why she was acting so strangely.<br>"Unless I battle Akuma..." She shuddered. "... I don't need it. Thanks!" Then she went over to one of the stadiums where her match would begin. Mikayla hoped Gingka wouldn't tell anyone what she told him.

"The first match: Mikayla and her bey Cryptid Celestia, v.s. Haeli and her bey Storm Delphino! Let's begin! 3..."  
>"2!" the audience chorused.<br>"1!" said the gang along with everyone else.  
>"Let it rip!" said Haeli and Mikayla, launching their beys Delphino and Celestia.<br>The moment Delphino touched Celestia, it bounced nearly out of the stadium, but at the last minute...  
>... It created a slippery road of ice and slid back into the stadium. Haeli smiled triumphantly, but Mikayla didn't look flustered. Neiji was confused. Why wasn't she using all her power and beating Haeli? This was weird...<br>"Go Delphino!" Haeli cried. "Special move: Frost Wave!" The stadium flooded with water and ice came out of nowhere and fell in all directions. Just when everyone thought the ice would pelt Celestia and it would stop, Celestia dodged every single frost shard. IN THE WATER.  
>"Wha... How can your bey move in the water?" Haley asked.<br>"It's really fast," Mikayla stated as though she were talking to a simpleton. Finally, Mikayla calmly said, "Finish this, Celestia." Celestia hit Delphino and Delphino got a stadium out. "And the winner is... MIKAYLA!"  
>"Of course," said Neiji. "She would win against Haeli and Delphino."<br>"Okay, now the next battle: Elixa and her bey Cyber Hawk v.s. Neiji and his bey Midnight Vampire Howler!"  
>A girl with long golden hair, caramel eyes and a smug expression appeared on one side of the stadium. Neiji walked over to the battle. He studied her. Elixa's expression just screamed, "You know I'm gonna win!"<br>"3..."  
>"2..."<br>"1..."  
>"Let it rip!"<p>

"Go Hawk!" Elixa said. "Special move: Winged Fury!"

"A special move in the beginning of the battle?" Neiji smirked. "Already? So sad." Cyber Hawk summoned up continuous waves of fierce wind, and Vampire Howler got blown off in the wind. But it came zooming back and hit Hawk with force. Stadium out again.  
>"Ugh!" Elixa picked up her bey and flounced away. Neiji rolled his eyes. There had got to be better opponents later on.<p>

"Next battle!" said the announcer. "It is: Sora and his bey Cyber Pegasus v.s. Flash and his bey Dark Metamorph!"

"3..."  
>"2..."<br>"1..."  
>"LET IT RIP!"<br>The moment Metamorph touched the ground Flash yelled, "Special move: Megamorpher!"  
>In that instant Metamorph turned into... CYBER?<br>Sora was utterly confused. "Cyber?" He stared at the duplicate. Flash waited until the opponent's concentration was completely depleted. Then he struck. "Cyber! Noooo!"  
>Stadium out.<br>"Okay, folks!" the announcer said in an annoyingly cheerful way. "The next battle is..." This was what Mikayla had been dreading. "Corona and her bey Galactic Nova v.s. Akuma and his bey Dark Satyr!"  
>A girl with dark, sparky red hair and crystal blue eyes came out.<br>And Akuma walked over to the other side of the stadium. "3..."  
>"2..."<br>"1!"  
>"Let it rip!" Their beys landed. Both bladers were quiet, and Mikayla had to admit, Corona's skill was amazing, and something was strange... Akuma was hardly using any of his power! Something was up...<p>

After about an hour, both beys were barely spinning. Nova and Satyr had just been clashing against eachother for the whole time. But something told Mikayla that Akuma was hoarding power for the final blow.  
>Then finally, Akuma said, "Satyr Elimination Strike!" Satyr pinned Galactic Nova to the stadium wall hit it with such force that any other bey would break into pieces, but...<br>... Nova just pushed Satyr off of it and struck it with even more force.  
>"She's amazing!" Mikayla exclaimed.<br>"I know," said Tsubasa.  
>"How did she do it?" Gingka asked. "I thought you said-"<br>"I don't know," she admitted. "He usually does."  
>"What are you guys talking about?" Tsubasa asked. "Nothing," Mikayla replied before Gingka told him the real answer.<p>

"And... It's a tie!" said the announcer as the beys stopped at once. "Both Corona and Akuma remain in the competition!"

"A TIE?" Mikayla whispered.  
>"The bladers Haeli and Elixa are out! Now, after a ten minute break, we'll have the next few matches in the first round!" The announcer then dismissed all the bladers.<p>


	6. Chapter 6

Mikayla couldn't believe it. It must have been a fluke. If not, then she was dreaming. Akuma didn't use even an ATOM of his power. She might ask him what was up... in a millenium. No, she couldn't face him. Mikayla would have to ask Corona. But before she could, Neiji stopped her.

"I have a question," he announced. "Why didn't you use your full power? Your bey could have wiped Delphino out!"  
>"I didn't need to use my full power," she explained. "And you're one to talk. You didn't use your full power either, did you?"<br>Neiji smiled. "Do I ever?"  
>"No." Mikayla shuddered. "Anyway," Neiji went on. "I need you to do something."<br>"What?"  
>"Use your psychic powers and tell me who's going to win the tournament," he said.<br>"I don't need to." Mikayla felt a sudden chill zoom through her. "Akuma's going to win."

"Okay," said the announcer. "The next few battles! Participants are: Gingka v.s. Aurora, Kyoya v.s. Benkei, Kenta v.s. Busujima and Hikaru v.s. Ryuga!"  
>"Good thing she's unconscious," Gingka whispered.<br>"She isn't," Mikayla said suddenly.  
>So that was why they were rushing to the emergency room to check on Hikaru. But...<br>... When they got there, she...  
>... WASN'T THERE...<p>

"This can only mean ONE THING." Gingka was right. That meant Hikaru had WILLINGLY WENT TO BATTLE RYUGA. The question was: WHY?  
>"Wait a second..." Hyoma's face clouded over.<br>"We're missing the battle!" Mikayla realized, suddenly breaking into a fast pace that no one thought she was capable of.

When they got to the audience, they looked on to the stadium, expecting Hikaru to be shrivelled up in fear, but... She was actually BATTLING. She was off to a good start. But...

They must have missed a lot of the battle, because Ryuga was saying, "Dragon Emperor Soaring Bite Strike!" "Oh, no," Gingka groaned. "Ryuga STILL has the power to absorb energy?"  
>A three-headed dragon swivelled out of the bey, aiming directly at Hikaru. But... She just stood there, with amazing dignity. The dragon went around her until she was no longer visible in the purple, misty smog.<br>Hyoma said. "Just when things were fine. I guess you don't need psychic powers to tell who's going to win this one, right, Mikayla? Mikayla?"  
>Mikayla seemed to be in a trance, her expression vacant and her eyes glassy. Suddenly she said, "Hikaru is not going to lose."<br>"Mikayla, I wish that was true but..."  
>"She's NOT GOING to LOSE!" she said, as though it were a command.<br>"How could she possibly-" He stopped and stared at the rare scene. Aquario clashed into L-Drago with extreme force, almost pushing it out of the stadium. Hikaru was concentrating hard, and it was paying off. Finally, with one last, final blow, L-Drago was just an inch away from the stadium's edge. Ryuga looked absolutely outraged. "Go, L-Drago!" There was a loud bang, and the announcer yelled out, "And it's a tie!"  
>"This day is full of surprises," Hyoma murmured, dazed.<p>

"Next match!" the announcer cried happily. "Kyoya and his bey Rock Leone V.S. Benkei and his bey Dark b-b-b-Bull!"

Neiji rolled rolled his eyes and said, "How annoying can this announcer get?"

"3!"  
>"2!"<br>"1!"  
>"Let it RIP!"<br>The moment the beys landed, Benkei shouted, "Bull Twister Slam!"  
>A Bull created a small twister much like a miniature Lion Gale Force Wall and zoomed towards Leone. But then the stadium was sucked into the tornado and the pile fell on top of Bull.<br>"Self defeat!" the announcer said matter-of-factly.  
>"We KNOW that!" yelled someone in the crowd.<br>"Aw, man," Benkei said. "I don't have full control over that move!" Then he crawled underneath that big mess of the stadium and got Bull.  
>"And the NEXT match," the announcer said, "is the one, the only, Gingka Hagane and his Storm Pegasus, versus the mysterious Aurora and her bey... Mystery Ghost." He tried to spook everyone, but he only succeeded in making them laugh at him.<br>"Good luck, Gingka," said Hyoma.  
>Mikayla winked at Gingka. "I'd heard a lot of good stuff about you, so don't lose this or all those rumors will be considered lies!"<br>"I won't let you down, guys!" Gingka said to everyone, going down to the stadium. But... The moment he saw Aurora he had this feeling that...

... There was something utterly FAMILIAR about her...

"You DID it, Hikaru!" Hyoma said. "I don't know how, but you actually did it!"

"All I needed was a little self-confidence, and now that I've got it back..." Hikaru gazed at everyone who was in front of her (The gang, plus Neiji and Mikayla and minus Gingka). "Well, I couldn't have done it without all of you."  
>"What did we do?" asked Yuu, confused.<p>

"I think she's talking about bigger people," Neiji said.

"And not little boys," Tsubasa and Neiji said at the same time.

"I'm not a little boy!" Yuu screamed. Well, he WAS throwing a tantrum... And he looked better that way, in Neiji's opinion. "Why on EARTH does everyone call me that?" He looked angry and offended.

"Okay, let's settle this once and for all," Mikayla said firmly, and Yuu looked up at her. "I'm going to tell the truth." Yuu gazed at her hopefully. "You ARE a little boy, Yuu."

Tsubasa and Neiji looked triumphant, and Yuu looked like big fat baby tears were going to burst out of his eyes. "But," she added, "who said you can't be mature as well?" Yuu's eyes went wide, Neiji looked at Tsubasa and Tsubasa was looking at Mikayla with an expression that said, "MATURE? Yeah, right. He was squealing just now, you know."

"Yuu, there's nothing wrong with being little," she said gently. "If I were you, and someone told me I was little, I might even take it as a compliment."

"But WHY?" Yuu looked amazed.

"Because," Mikayla gestured to Yuu, "look at you. You're so little and yet you managed to beat Kyoya and even Gingka!"  
>"How did you know about that?"<p>

"Um... HELLO! WHY does everyone forget I'm psychic?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't be. Anyway, next time someone calls you a little boy," she shot Neiji and Tsubasa a look, "Just say you are a little boy, because you can't deny the truth. And even though you ARE a little boy, no one can deny the fact that you're the most powerful person your age."

"I am, aren't I?" Yuu flashed Neiji and particularly Tsubasa an evil grin. Then he started parading around the audience bellowing, "I AM A LITTLE BOY! I AM A LITTLE BOY!"

After a moment of silence, Tsubasa groaned. "Oh, god, Mikayla! You just gave him a huge boost to his already huge ego!"

"Well, you're the one who kept making him cry and squeal and such," Mikayla pointed out. "If you didn't make fun of him, he would be a lot more mature."

"Whatever."

"AND IT'S A TIE AGAIN!" the announcer yelled suddenly. "Both Gingka and Aurora procceed to the next round! Now, it's getting late, so we'll continue this tomorrow! Goodnight, everybody!"

Someone in the crowd yelled, "You're not a rock star!" and a chorus of boos followed.

Later on...

"So, you're good with children too, huh?" Hyoma asked.

"Yeah." Mikayla laughed to herself. "Since when I was little, I always had a way with them. Even now."

"No one has ever thought of convincing Yuu that being a little boy was good, so he'd stop crying and be annoying and-"

"I didn't do it because of that," Mikayla said. "I was just telling him the truth. No matter how little you seem to be, on the inside you can be much more sophisticated than that. The only reason he was crying was because people called him little boy and he didn't know how good that was, and being annoying is just some people's nature, like Neiji, for example."

Hyoma tried to stifle a laugh, but practically the whole thing came through.  
>"Anyway, I'm not sure any of us will win, but good luck anyway. You're obviously going to be up in the next few matches." Mikayla looked thoughtfully at Hyoma.<p>

"Really? Cool! I just know I'm going to win. I have to. I really want to face you in one of the matches, that's why." Hyoma made eye contact.

"Keep that thought in mind and have fun!" Mikayla said. "And just..." She had wanted to say 'be careful' because of her memory of Akuma, but instead she said, "I've got to go and... Do something."

"What?" Hyoma asked.

"Um..." Mikayla looked away.

He narrowed his eyes. "It's about Akuma, isn't it?"

She sighed. "Some day, Hyoma, I'll explain. But for now, just don't ask any questions." Then, suddenly, she swooped up, kissed him on his cheek and left the room without another word.

Hyoma blinked and stood there for a second, lost in thought. Then, after a while, he left the room as well. 


End file.
